Do vampire/Cthulu/etc. cults count as religious cults?

[leo-rcc]

Anyway, bringing it back to the topic, a cult is a cult is a cult. I view religions differently because there ARE characteristics that do separate cults, such as cutting people off from their family and friends. The line between cults and religions blur often, and it's not an easy distinction, but I think one exists.

Cutting yourself of from family that believes something different or nothing at all is a major part of beginning religions as well, including Christianity.

Jesus' Attitude towards the Family

A large number of pre-Easter traditions contained in the Gospels suggest that Jesus had a non-familial or even an anti-familial attitude. This attitude is manifested above all in the frequently imposed demand that his closest disciples break ties with their own families (Mark 1:16-18; 19-20 and 10:28-30; Q 12:52.53; 14:26; Q 9:57-58. 59-60). This is an especially significant demand because it is coherent with his own lifestyle which was characterized among other things by the lack of a permanent residence (Q 9:58), by his itinerant existence (Mark 1:14-29), and by his renouncing of marriage (Matt 19:12). This lifestyle presupposes a break with his family, which appears explicitly in some gospel passages (Mark 3:20-21, 31-35; 6:1-6a). These passages about the breaking of family ties have a solid historical foundation and come most probably from the pre-Easter tradition (Guijarro 2001:211-22).

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0..._n6260528/

Once a religion grows large enough and entire families believe the same thing that doesn't become an issue anymore, but still some fringe denominations require it. In some denominations if you are the one leaving the faith it is also compulsory that your family denounces you.

[downbeatplumb]

It's a serious question sort of. Granted a lot of people who have interest in vampire lore or Cthulu mythos aren't serious, but there are some people who seriously believe in that stuff. Hell, I've had New Agers try to sell me blank Necronomicons telling me that because people believe in it they have actual power (the belief in the power preceding the power apparently).

Like this guy. Not only does he believe that he is a real vampire but he also wrote his own Necronomicon.

But also you find articles like these talking about people who really believe in this stuff.

I bring this up as a question of whether it's a religious cult because H.P. Lovecraft wouldn't be the first science fiction author to make people believe his fictions are real (see Scientology), and though these cults aren't quite as prominent as Hubbard's has become, one wonders if they qualify for a place somewhere along the continuum of religious-ness.

So, just because their systems of belief require faith and bad logic, and because these beliefs are pervasive in a way, does that make them qualify as a religious cult in a way?

A religion is a cult that got lucky.

[LEDO]

Classifications are artificial. As soon as you devise a way to classify everything, up pops the exception.

[KichigaiNeko]

I would have to agree with LEDO that ...
"..a religion is a cult that got lucky"

I think it would be safe to say that the whole Lovecraft thingy is no more a religion or a cult as say that the Disc world of Terry Pratchett is worthy of worship as a reality. Admiration of an author to create such a world and move his characters through it with a fair smattering of keen human observation, not withstanding. Scientology is a very good demonstration of how you can get anything you want with money, and hence power; not least of which you can claim a tax deduction while you are at it

I find that most of those who are enamored of Vampirism etc are on their way to become healthy atheists as they are demon-strating a complete disregard for organised religion and a searching for a place / belief system to belong to. Nothing more